The present disclosure is related to a wireless passive entry system for a motor vehicle. More particularly, this disclosure is related to a method to change driver identification for a passive entry vehicle.
In today's cars it is somewhat standard to have a specific key fob for a specific driver. In the vehicle, each fob is “tied” to potentially many functions and driver preference settings (e.g., radio presets, driver positioning, mirror positioning, and the like). In known passive entry systems, the driver preference settings are usually based on a fob identification found in a signal from the fob which allows entry into the vehicle.
The current trend is to apply four-door passive entry to vehicles. With four-door passive entry, when the handle on the driver's door is grabbed, generally only the driver's door unlocks. When other points of access (e.g., passengers' doors and a tailgate) are triggered, all doors of the vehicle unlock. With four-door passive entry, the probability increases that the driver may keep his or her fob in their briefcase or bag, for example, and place the briefcase or bag in a rear seat of a vehicle by first opening a rear door or the tailgate. With current passive entry systems, the driver preference settings would not be changed if the driver accessed the vehicle through a point of access other than the driver's door and placed the briefcase or bag, in which the fob is located, in the rear of the vehicle. With current passive entry systems, the driver identification would default to the previous values set at the last grab of the driver's door handle with a valid key fob. This can create confusion and frustration for the driver of the vehicle.
For example, a husband and wife own and share a vehicle equipped with four-door passive entry. The wife typically drives the vehicle during the day and keeps her fob in her purse. The husband then takes the vehicle on some evenings and keeps his fob in his backpack. If the husband puts his backpack in the cargo area by first opening the tailgate, the identification for the husband can be confused because the vehicle only recalls the identification of the wife, who was the last driver to grab of the front door handle carrying a valid key fob. Because the husband placed his backpack in the cargo area, there was no fob identification present at the driver's door handle when the husband entered the vehicle though the driver's door. As such, even though the wife is not operating the vehicle, the driver preference settings are set for the wife and not the husband.